USS Iowa BB61, lead ship of a class of 45,000-ton battleships, was built at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York. Commissioned in February 1943, she spent her initial service in the Atlantic and carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt to and from Casablanca, Morocco, in November 1943. Early in January 1944, Iowa steamed to the Pacific, where she took part in the Marshalls Campaign later in that month and in February. From then until the end of 1944, she was actively involved in raids against Japanese facilities and campaigns to capture the Marianas, the Palaus and Leyte, including participation in the Battles of the Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf.After overhaul in early 1945, Iowa returned to the western Pacific for the Okinawa campaign and the final operations against Japan. She was present in Tokyo Bay during the formal surrender of Japan on 2 September 1945. She returned to the United States later in that month and operated with the Pacific Fleet until she was decommissioned in March 1949.The Korean War brought Iowa back into active service. She was recommissioned in August 1951 and made a combat deployment to Korean waters in April-October 1952, during which time she served as Seventh Fleet flagship. Upon return to the U.S., she was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet. Over the next several years, Iowa made several European cruises and was present for the International Naval Review in Hampton Roads, Virginia, in June 1957. She was decommissioned in February 1958.After two and a half decades in “mothballs”, Iowa was modernized under the 1980s defense buildup and recommissioned in April 1984. She went to European waters in 1985, 1986 and 1987-88, with the latter cruise continuing into the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. A fire in her second sixteen-inch gun turret killed 47 crewmen on 19 April 1989, but Iowa was still able to deploy to Europe and the Mediterranean Sea in mid-year. Turret two remained unrepaired when she decommissioned for the last time in October 1990. USS Iowa is presently part of the Reserve Fleet.

Paul Allen

Billionaire Paul Allen (1953) is one of the wealthiest yacht owners in the world. He founded Microsoft together with Bill Gates in 1975. He has his own private asset management company named Vulcan Inc. His investments include real estate, technology, media, and content companies. Allen also owns three sports teams: the Seattle Seahawks (NFL), the Portland Trail Blazers (NBA), and the Seattle Sounders FC franchise (MLS). His net worth is estimated at US$ 18.2 billion. Paul Allen was the investor behind SpaceShipOne. In 2011 Allen was ranked the most generous living American by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, following donations of USD 372 million. In 1988 Paul and his sister Jody Allen founded the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. The foundation focuses on the US Pacific North West region, and has donated close to US$ 500 million. In total Allen has donated more than US$ 2 billion to good causes. In 1998 Paul Allen founded the Flying Heritage Collection, a collection of rare WorldWar II aircraft. The collection opened to the public in 2004. In December 2013 Paul sold his Washington based private island, named Allen Island -named after a Navy hero. Paul Allen has donated USD 100 million for prevention of the Ebola Crisis.

Octopus

Allen’s yacht Octopus, owned by the billionaire Microsoft co founder. Luxury yacht Octopus is one of the world’s largest yachts. Octopus has a large helicopter hangar on the main deck, giving shelter to two helicopters. The yacht has a large glass bottom pool and a 10 person submarine. The submarine and the main tender (named Man of War) float into the yacht through a large hatch. The yacht has a music recording studio on the bridge deck. Other features include an observation lounge, a cinema, a juice bar near a gym, a salon and a medical centre. The owner has his dedicated deck, with a large study, a walk-in closet and an outside bar with whirlpool. There is a large VIP cabin, 4 guest cabins, a children’s cabin and two additional staff/doctors cabins. The exterior was designed by Espen Øino Naval Architects. The interior was designed by American designer Jonathan Quinn Barnett of Seattle. Paul Allen also owns the yacht Tatoosh and the Feadship Meduse. In January 2016 Tatoosh was involved in an accident. Her anchor chain damaged a coral reef in the Cayman Islands. The two helicopters on the Octopus bare the registration numbers N904AFand N76AF. The first one is a MD900 and the second a Sikorsky S-76C. On this page you will find exclusive interior photos of Octopus. Octopus is often referred to as the Bill Gates yacht, however Bill Gates is not the owner of the yacht Octopus. As far as SuperYachtFan knows Bill Gates does not own a yacht. In the winter season 2013/2014 Octopus went to Hamburg, Germany for a refit. In May 2014 Paul hosted a party on board Octopus during the Cannes International Film Festival. Guests included Dolph Lungren, Sharon Stone and Entourage star Adrian Grenier. Octopus is a member of Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER), a voluntary group ship reporting system used worldwide by search and rescue authorities to arrange quick and easy assistance for anyone in distress at sea. Octopus has assisted on several occasions in recent years, including an air and sea search in the waters of Palau looking for missing police officers and their pilot. In March 2015 A research team led by Paul G. Allen has located the Musashi, one of the world’s largest and most technologically advanced battleships. The ship was sunk during World War II and, despite numerous eyewitness accounts, the exact location of the ship was unknown. Using historical records from four different countries, detailed topographical data and advanced technology aboard his yacht, M/Y Octopus, Mr. Allen and his team discovered the wreckage in the Sibuyan Sea off the Philippines on March 1, 2015. Read more at Paul Allen’s personal website. In July 2015 Octopus was in Reykjavik, Iceland. The luxury yacht Octopus is not available for charter, but enquire for your ultimate charter experience on other yachts.